Who Pays for Diversity?: Why Programs Fail at Racial Equity and What to Do about It

Summary

HOW DIVERSITY INITIATIVES HARM EMPLOYEES OF COLOR BY TURNING THEM INTO WORKPLACE COMMODITIES

Who Pays for Diversity? reveals the costs that employees of color pay under current diversity programs by having their racial identities commodified to benefit white people and institutions. Oneya Fennell Okuwobi proposes fresh and thoughtful ways to reorient these initiatives, move beyond tokenism, and authentically center marginalized employees.

Drawing on accounts of employees from across the workplace spectrum, from corporations to churches to universities, this book details how the optics of diversity programs undermine employees’ competence while diminishing their well‑being and workplace productivity. Okuwobi argues that diversity programs have been a costly detour on the path to racial justice, and getting back on track requires solutions that provide equity, dignity, and agency to all employees.

“Ripping the facade off organizational practices that purport to advance racial equity but actually ensure inequality, Oneya Okuwobi has crafted a book that will become required reading for everyone interested in creating lasting organizational change.”—Victor Ray, author of On Critical Race Theory